Current Affairs 2023

[towny44]

I see the IMF is making pessimistic noises about the UK economy. Given how offen they've been completely wrong and their own admission they've been as much as 1.5% adrift in the past I don't think I'll be losing any sleep.

I was thinking exactly the same as I watched the BBC milk the bad news for all it was worth. With their track record for regularly under predicting the performance of the UK economy, you would think the IMF would have done some research to establish how they could improve. Unless the media are paying them to produce bad news data.

[screwy]

David Buick ,a very well respected financial commentator was on LBC this morning ( most mornings) .He said that the IMF quite often got things wrong, he was actually talking up the UKs position,refreshing to hear after the BBC dire statements.

[barney]

What is interesting about the IMF is that when the systems used for predicting the future are used to compare what has happened historically, they have been always proven to be miles out, but still continue with the system.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So our energy prices are higher than most others, with an impact on inflation and growth prospects. Largely because, apparently, of the proportion of electricity we generate through gas, most of it imported. And even electricity generated by wind and solar is priced according to.wholesale gas costs. Some lessons there surely. 1. Get fracking. 2. Licence more North Sea gas. 3. Change the pricing structure.

[david63]

And even electricity generated by wind and solar is priced according to wholesale gas costs.

Begs the question - WHY? Utter nonsense in my opinion.

[screwy]

The country is broken.!
Our granddaughter,partner and 5 month old gt grandson are looking to emigrate to either Australia or Canada.If they go they go with our blessings. We will of course miss them tremendously but unfortunately this country no longer is the place to grow up as a family.
Her partner lived and worked in Sydney for 3 years before. He is 26, She 23.

[Onelife]

So our energy prices are higher than most others, with an impact on inflation and growth prospects. Largely because, apparently, of the proportion of electricity we generate through gas, most of it imported. And even electricity generated by wind and solar is priced according to.wholesale gas costs. Some lessons there surely. 1. Get fracking. 2. Licence more North Sea gas. 3. Change the pricing structure.

I agree Sir Merv, they should stop talking gas and put money into to producing more of the stuff.

[Onelife]

The country is broken.!
Our granddaughter,partner and 5 month old gt grandson are looking to emigrate to either Australia or Canada.If they go they go with our blessings. We will of course miss them tremendously but unfortunately this country no longer is the place to grow up as a family.
Her partner lived and worked in Sydney for 3 years before. He is 26, She 23.

I feel the same about our daughter Screwy…I’m of the opinion that there are better lifestyle choices to be had in the places you mention.

Whilst accepting no one agrees with me, but there needs to be a complete change in our political landscape if we are ever to reverse this decline.

[david63]

put money into to producing more of the stuff

Or better still put the money into moving away from gas.

[towny44]

put money into to producing more of the stuff

Or better still put the money into moving away from gas.

Even the best estimates of the move to green energy, requires that we continue to use gas until at least 2050. So surely it's better to use UK produced gas than pay to import it.

[barney]

The country is broken.!
Our granddaughter,partner and 5 month old gt grandson are looking to emigrate to either Australia or Canada.If they go they go with our blessings. We will of course miss them tremendously but unfortunately this country no longer is the place to grow up as a family.
Her partner lived and worked in Sydney for 3 years before. He is 26, She 23.

I wish them well Screwy, but unfortunately, they will find that all of the problems there are the same as the problems here.
My aunt and uncle immigrated to Oz forty years ago.
Two of their grandchildren now choose to live in the U.K.

[Ray B]

All the talk today seems to be encouraging people to move to heat pumps. Whilst today's systems are more energy efficient and no doubt will improve even more - - energy put in vs energy put out, you still require extremely deep pockets to pay for a new system. Until prices begin coming down to an affordable figure, I don't think there will be a big rush to change.
I had a new gas boiler fitted last summer and compared to the year before we have had more comfort and hot water for less Kwh, a big saving on gas used, obviously gas prices did not help in saving money.
Will our gas be cheaper from the sea or fracking, it wasn't before going back to the sixties. It will follow the market value unless we take control.

[barney]

put money into to producing more of the stuff

Or better still put the money into moving away from gas.

Even the best estimates of the move to green energy, requires that we continue to use gas until at least 2050. So surely it's better to use UK produced gas than pay to import it.

I’m constantly perplexed by this issue John
My younger brother is extremely green in everything he does. Almost a zealot.
When I asked him how do I run my gas central heating and hot water boiler without gas, he replied that I should rip it out and replace it with an electric system.
Given it’s only been in for three years, that can’t be very green, can it?
He’s gone for one of those outside heat pump systems but also two wood burners

[david63]

Apart from the cost one of the major problems with heat pumps is retro fitting them. The majority of houses have not been designed in a way that is easy to locate and fit them to the existing heating system.

[Onelife]

put money into to producing more of the stuff

Or better still put the money into moving away from gas.

Hi David, while I agree with you that we need to move towards renewable sources, that being said, our reliance on other countries to supply our current needs doesn’t make economic sence especially when we have access to our own sources of polluting energy. While we play the green card other countries use the green card while working alongside the economic advantages of using their own energy resources. In the short term we need to do as Sir Merv has suggested, plus using more of our coal reserves estimated to be 30+ years of supplies. Some would argue that it is cheaper to import than to produce, this may be so in the short term but to our cost we have found that outsourcing our utilities to overseas companies has and will continue to leave us vulnerable to global events, not to mention the profits we have lost from selling off most all our utilities.

That’s what I think from a lay person’s perspective.

[Onelife]

Apart from the cost one of the major problems with heat pumps is retro fitting them. The majority of houses have not been designed in a way that is easy to locate and fit them to the existing heating system.

That is my understanding David…to make heat pumps efficient you would have to redesign existing houses/buildings at enormous cost.

[towny44]

Or better still put the money into moving away from gas.

Even the best estimates of the move to green energy, requires that we continue to use gas until at least 2050. So surely it's better to use UK produced gas than pay to import it.

I’m constantly perplexed by this issue John
My younger brother is extremely green in everything he does. Almost a zealot.
When I asked him how do I run my gas central heating and hot water boiler without gas, he replied that I should rip it out and replace it with an electric system.
Given it’s only been in for three years, that can’t be very green, can it?
He’s gone for one of those outside heat pump systems but also two wood burners

IMO his 2 woodburners completely wipe out any benefit he gets from his heat pump, and probably most of his neighbours as well. With that sort of attitude he must be a champagne socialist.
As for his ridiculous suggestion that you should change to electric heating, our gas engineer says that with electric costs per kwh 8 times higher than gas, then no one in their right mind would contemplate such a change.

[towny44]

Apart from the cost one of the major problems with heat pumps is retro fitting them. The majority of houses have not been designed in a way that is easy to locate and fit them to the existing heating system.

I have no idea how flat dwellers could convert to a heat pump.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The big problem with heats pumps is they cannot heat the water to the same temperature as a gas boiler (or indeed a conventional electric heater) so radiators have to be significantly bigger, which means any conversion involves not just the heat source but the whole system. Ideally they work best with underfloor heating in very well insulated homes. The second issue is that while they are cheaper to run than conventional electric heating they are not cheaper than an efficient gas boiler, given the current kHhr difference in gas and electricity prices.

[Stephen]

Apart from the cost one of the major problems with heat pumps is retro fitting them. The majority of houses have not been designed in a way that is easy to locate and fit them to the existing heating system.

I have no idea how flat dwellers could convert to a heat pump.

.....wit a long pipe

[barney]

Even the best estimates of the move to green energy, requires that we continue to use gas until at least 2050. So surely it's better to use UK produced gas than pay to import it.

I’m constantly perplexed by this issue John
My younger brother is extremely green in everything he does. Almost a zealot.
When I asked him how do I run my gas central heating and hot water boiler without gas, he replied that I should rip it out and replace it with an electric system.
Given it’s only been in for three years, that can’t be very green, can it?
He’s gone for one of those outside heat pump systems but also two wood burners

IMO his 2 woodburners completely wipe out any benefit he gets from his heat pump, and probably most of his neighbours as well. With that sort of attitude he must be a champagne socialist.
As for his ridiculous suggestion that you should change to electric heating, our gas engineer says that with electric costs per kwh 8 times higher than gas, then no one in their right mind would contemplate such a change.

Oh !
We’re both champagne socialists John
My brother who passed away last year was also on the left but my other brother is somewhere right of Attila the Hun.
It makes for interesting conversations.
We are fortunate in the fact that we have all done very well for ourselves despite coming from very humble working class background.
Ironically, all of our children are very middle class.
My sister in law reckons her son is so posh that she doubts he’s hers

[Onelife]

Hi Barney, your post with reference to class got me thinking about where I fit into this system…however, I’m not quite sure how or what defines class, for example, is it based on your profession/earnings/wealth or how one perceives oneself?

If you can give me some guidelines as to why you see yourself as middle/upper class then I’ll be able to take a stab as to whether I have moved up or down the class system?

This is an open question should others wish to give an opinion.

[Stephen]

I’m first class.

What you see is what you get.

[barney]

Hi Barney, your post with reference to class got me thinking about where I fit into this system…however, I’m not quite sure how or what defines class, for example, is it based on your profession/earnings/wealth or how one perceives oneself?

If you can give me some guidelines as to why you see yourself as middle/upper class then I’ll be able to take a stab as to whether I have moved up or down the class system?

This is an open question should others wish to give an opinion.

I certainly don’t see myself as middle class mate.
I’m from very humble but hardworking East End stock.
The main difference between the generations is the education level.
For instance, me, secondary modern, left school, apprenticeship then onwards to a successful life.

My son, grammar school, Cambridge University, a civilian career with the Police. Really good salary and his family have everything they could want or need.

All of my brothers children also went to university and have successful careers.
One is a much published author
One a musician
Another is a broker in the city
Another couple have successful businesses.

So, the parents are working class but the children are middle class.
That’s generational progress.

[Onelife]

Hi Barney, it sounds to me like your parents pasted on some good genes to you and your brothers… having accomplished so much with your lives. Indeed, it left me thinking that there is a book to be written about the life and times of the “Barney’s”

Thankfully I have just asked my wife what class I fall into otherwise in comparison to your family’s achievements I would put my class somewhere in the lower working-class bracket.

My father was a grafter as was my mother, both worked hard to give me and my two sisters happy childhoods.

On balance I would say both of my sisters had the edge on me when it came to educational learning but none of us went on to further education.
Of my two sisters, one went on to be a shorthand typist the other worked in a factor. Both were married by the time they were 20.

As for me, well, I had various jobs after leaving school ranging from gardener to factory worker then on to starting my own cleaning business…. which after 22 years gave us a fair living…. unfurtunatly it all came crashing down when I sustained fractures to my back in a fall, this resulted in me taking early retirement at the age of 48… My Wife became our bread winner and went on to achieve a high level in her nursing career.

Anyhow, I asked my wife to give me an honest appraisal as to my class, to which she replied: “you were in the gutter class when I met you but after 36 years of marriage and my hard work you can now class yourself as upper working class” …my wife said she sees herself as lower middle class.